


BlackBird - The Beatles

by CallSignFelix



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:41:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27270601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CallSignFelix/pseuds/CallSignFelix
Summary: Gon, Killua, Leorio, and Kurapika are on a camping trip. That’s it. That’s the whole thing. There’s a little bit of LeoPika sprinkled in there, but overall it’s really cute and it’s worth a read.
Kudos: 10





	BlackBird - The Beatles

The sun was finally setting, and the sky was doused in brilliant shades of pink and gold. The four of us had just finished dinner, and were playing a game of tag. Leorio was it, and he was having the most difficulty catching the rest of us. It wasn’t his fault that the boys were too quick to catch, and I refused to lose to someone who called me princess.

He came straight for me, and I laughed while running away. I risked a glance over my shoulder, and immediately tripped over the uneven dirt. Oh I’m never going to live this down.

I stumbled to the ground, tripping Leorio so he fell with me. We tumbled a short distance before finally coming to a stop. We both laid in the soft grass for a moment, breathing hard and laughing.

“You’re it.” Leorio gasped. “Now go catch the boys.”

“I have… a plan.” I put my arm over my face and waited.

“Oh?”

“You’ll see.” I smirked.

“Leorio! Kurapika! Are you guys alright?” Gon ran over to check on us, and just before he arrived, I sprang to my feet. He didn’t have time to stop before I wrapped my arms around him.

“Gotcha!” I yelled, tickling him. He squirmed and laughed, trying to pull my hands away.

I let him go, and he took off to catch Killua. I sat down next to Leorio, and together we watched the two boys chase one another around the meadow, eventually morphing the game into a sort of hide-and-seek. 

“Oh, to be young and spritely again.” Leorio sighed, leaning back on his hands.

“Leorio, you’re only 20.” I raised an eyebrow at him. “You still have plenty of youth left.”

He shrugged. “Honestly, I feel like I’m late 30.”

“You look like it too.” I smirked.

He put a hand over his heart in feign offense. “Taking that from a 16 year old girl?”

I swatted his arm, giving him a humorous glare. “I told you already, I’m 19! And you of all people should know I’m not a girl.”

He laughed. “What do you mean by that?”

My face flushed. “You know what I meant Leorio! You- you’ve seen me without a shirt on! It should be pretty obvious.”

He laughed again. “I’m just teasing.”

I rolled my eyes and huffed humorously. “As always.”

Gon and Killua suddenly appeared, running towards us out of the forest. “Leorio! Kurapika! Look what we got!”

They stopped right in front of us, showing off four big fish. They both wore giddy smiles, and laughed between themselves.

“Hey, those are big!” Leorio said in awe. “Well done boys! Looks like dinner is on!”

Leorio and I took the fish and began to clean and prepare the meal while Killua and Gon built a fire. They were quick, and chattered endlessly during their work. Leorio expertly gutted and deboned the fish while I just watched in morbid fascination.

We put the fish over the fire, and told stories while everything cooked. Leorio told us funny stories about his schooling years. I regaled some of the adventures I had while in the foster system. Gon used his big imagination and us stories about ants who made friends with beetles.

We ate our meal and reminisced about the hunter’s exam we had all taken together nearly a year ago. The sun had set a while ago, and soon the stars were the only things in the sky.

The boys began to yawn sleepily, so we decided to call it a night. Leorio and I put out the last glowing coals, then everyone settled down for a good night's rest. We had spent the entire day hiking through the mountains and receiving tidbits of miscellaneous plant information from Gon. The two little boys had insisted on splashing in every stream they found, and had pocketed the coolest rocks they laid eyes on. So it made sense that they were exhausted. 

“Kurapika, will you tuck me in?” Gon asked, snuggling into his sleeping bag.

“Oh, me too?” Killua asked, giving a shy smile.

“Oh, uh…” I hadn’t expected this. It’s not something I usually did, but I was grateful that the boys wanted me to do this for them. “Of course.”

Gon smiled happily as I zipped him up and tucked him in. Then I smoothed his hair back and kissed his forehead.

“Good night, Gon.”

“Good night Kurapika!”

I tucked Killua into his sleeping bag, and kissed him gently on the forehead as well. “Sleep well, Killua.”

“Thanks, goodnight Kurapika.”

I walked over to my spot, and began setting up my own sleeping bag. Just as I laid it out, someone behind me cleared their throat.

“Are you forgetting someone?” Leorio asked, a smirk on his face.

I rolled my eyes, but couldn’t keep a smile off my face. “Alright, I’m coming.”

He put his arms down in his sleeping bag, and I tucked him in. I took his glasses off and set them on the ground next to his pillow, then placed a gentle kiss on his forehead.

He smiled up at me with nothing but adoration in his eyes. “You’re so gentle. It feels like something a mother would do.”

I chuckled. “I hope you don’t see me as a mother figure, Leorio.”

“I’m sure the boys do.” He snickered.

We both looked over at the two boys sleeping safe and sound. After everything we’ve been through, I was grateful to have everyone under my protection once again.

“I bet they see you as a father figure.” I raised an eyebrow at him.

He nodded. “That is totally plausible.” He yawned. “Goodnight, Kurapika.”

“Sleep well.” I ran my fingers through his hair, then went to my own sleeping bag again.

Shoes off, robes folded neatly, and contacts out. I snuggled into my makeshift bed, soul settling into a peaceful place. I had plenty of things to stress about, the future was unclear and frightening. But I had my family back. We may not be related by blood, but I truly felt a familial bond to them.

I listened to the forest. Not out of fear, but rather in fascination. I could hear distant wildlife like squirrels in the trees, and see bats flying past above us.

The stars were bright in the moonless sky. The constellations were familiar to me, and I practiced naming them and locating the main star of each. It was pretty difficult because every time I blinked I had to re-locate the constellation. I gave up after a couple of minutes, and just stared at the tiny pricks of light.

A star shot across the sky for an instant, and my eyes widened. A shooting star. What should I wish for? I smiled to myself, knowing that I already had my wish.

“Kurapika, did you see that?” Leorio asked quietly next to me.

“I did.” I whispered. “Did you make a wish?”

He hummed a yes. “I wished for luck. I believe I have the skills necessary to pass and graduate medical school, but a little good luck doesn’t hurt.” He sighed. “What did you wish for?”

“I didn’t make a wish.” I said simply. “As silly as it sounds, I have everything I could ever want, right here.”

I looked over at him to find him gazing steadily at me. His expression was hard to read in the dark.

“It’s not silly.” He whispered.

I smiled. Our faces were very close, but I really didn’t mind. “Leorio, what will we do after this?”

“What do you mean?”

“Our camping trip can’t last forever, we need to set up a base and have a stable home where Killua and Gon can grow up and feel safe. They still need to go to school, and they should live in a neighborhood with kids their age so they can make friends. I’m mostly worried about Killua, he doesn’t really want friends other than Gon.”

Leorio nudged me with his elbow. “Hey, don’t worry about it. We will get there when we get there. You have to remember, we aren’t these kids' parents.”

I exhaled slowly, then looked to the sky again. “You’re right. I wish we were though. They both deserve better than what they were given.”

“Amen, I hear ya.” Leorio turned his attention to the sky as well. Silence overtook us, and we both waited for the other to speak first. We just stared at the stars for a moment until he finally spoke up. “Would you… Would you be willing to be a co-parent with me?”

I looked over at him, eyebrows furrowed. “Is this a marriage proposal? Because I will not accept until you ask formally.”

He laughed, trying to ease the tension he felt. “Well, here’s the thing. I was asking if- possibly in the future sometime… after we avenge your clan, and I get my degree… Maybe we could, ya’ know...”

“Maybe we could what?” I teased him, scooting closer.

He exhaled. “We could move in together, and possibly- maybe after some time, yeah… get married.”

“I would like that.” I said, finally confessing the feelings I’ve been harboring since that first night in the blimp almost a year ago.

He turned to me, eyes shining. “Really?”

I nodded with a smile.

Suddenly there was a cry. A sound of weakness and fear. I immediately recognized it as Killua’s. I was up in an instant, and crawled to his bedside. He was sitting up in bed, clutching his arms with white knuckles.

“What happened?”

He looked at me with startled, wide eyes. I could tell he was having a hard time breathing. He probably couldn’t see me in the dark.

“It’s just me.” I said gently, reaching out for him.

His lip trembled, and he jumped into my arms. He clutched my shirt and cried softly. I pulled him up onto my lap and stroked his hair to calm him.

“You’re safe here, Killua. It was just a dream.”

“Just a dream.” He sniffed.

Leorio appeared at my side and put a hand on my shoulder. Gon stirred awake when he heard the crying. Wordlessly, he crawled over and put his arms around Killua. I put my arm around him too, pulling him close.

Leorio leaned his back against mine, allowing me to relax on him. I exhaled, eyes drifting up to the stars. My wish was here. It had come true even though I hadn’t manifested it to the universe. I had found my family.

It reminded me of my original family, the one I had lost many years ago. Whenever I had scary dreams, my mother would sing me Kurta lullabies. I could still remember a bit of one…

“Blackbird singing in the dead of night,” I began to sing softly, earning everyone’s attention. “Take these broken wings and learn to fly.”

Both Gon and Killua snuggled closer, soothed by the melody.

“All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arise.”

Leorio rested his head on my shoulder, and I leaned against him to reassure him that I was there.

“Blackbird singing in the dead of night, take these sunken eyes and learn to see.” The melody floated across the air, mingling with the breeze. “All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to be free.”

The forest became quiet, as if all the little night critters listened in on my song. As I continued to sing, Killua’s breathing slowed and evened out. Soon he and Gon were sound asleep.

“Blackbird singing in the dead of night, take these broken wings and learn to fly.” I sang quieter. Leorio seemed to be sleeping as well. “All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arise.”

I repeated the last line three more times as the song went, and then hummed the chorus one more time. With everyone cuddled up and sound asleep, I couldn’t move. I was trapped by sleepy boys.

The only thing I could do was lean my head on Leorio’s shoulder. I turned my face toward him, nose brushing the course hairs that lined his jaw. I placed a gentle kiss there, then fell asleep to the sound of his breathing.


End file.
